American Samoa‘s women’s national soccer team has authored a storybook run through World Cup qualifying, transforming from global minnows into legitimate contenders in the Oceania Football Confederation.
Entering the qualification tournament last year, the team sat at a dismal 153rd in the FIFA world rankings—the absolute lowest among all participants. With an island population of just 45,319, they couldn’t even fill the smallest stadium slated for next year’s World Cup.
Captain Alma Mana’o frames the squad’s identity around a core Samoan value. “Family is above all,” she states. That ethos manifests literally on the pitch, where multiple sets of sisters line up together. “This is a family, we have got to get together, hold our sisters accountable and push each other,” Mana’o explains.
The Mana’o family itself holds a unique record for the most family members to participate in FIFA events. “If we can’t win, we’re going to have the most kids!” Alma declares with a laugh, underscoring the team’s determination to find success in their familial enterprise.
No one expected anything from American Samoa when the qualifiers kicked off. In November, they faced Tonga, the highest-ranked side in their initial group. Just before halftime, 18-year-old Cassidy Drago etched her name into national lore by scoring American Samoa’s first-ever Women’s World Cup qualifying goal. Drago added a second shortly after, powering the team to a stunning 3-0 victory.
They followed that shocker by dispatching Cook Islands in the final preliminary qualifier in early December. “Us going to the second round surprised everyone,” Mana’o recalls with a knowing grin.
The second round presented a brutal reality check: a matchup against the Solomon Islands, the 2025 Pacific Nations Cup champions. Ranked 80 places above American Samoa, the Solomon Islands had crushed them 7-1 in Olympic qualifying just months prior.
Ninety minutes later, the scoreboard delivered one of the greatest shocks in Women’s World Cup qualifying history: American Samoa 1, Solomon Islands 0.
A 1-0 victory over neighboring Samoa last month sealed their place in the final round of OFC qualifiers. As Mana’o puts it, the journey “from underdog to dark horse” was complete.
This Sunday, American Samoa faces Papua New Guinea in Auckland—the same city where they played their first-ever women’s international match 28 years ago, a brutal 21-0 loss to Australia.
Now, they carry genuine hope of advancing, boasting four wins in their last five games under the guidance of head coach Amanda Cromwell, a 1996 U.S. Olympic gold medalist.
Mana’o credits Cromwell’s impact as pivotal to their surge. “This doesn’t happen without her pushing the federation to get us all together, to have certain meal plans, to have a trainer making sure we’re taken care of,” she says. “I really do appreciate that with my prior experiences.”
She expresses full confidence in the program’s new trajectory under Cromwell’s leadership: “This new standard will be the standard.”
Mana’o’s own journey mirrors the team’s rise. In 2011, at just 15 years old, she became the first “off island” girl to play for American Samoa. Her debut was a “shattering” 8-0 defeat.
She happily contrasts that experience with the environment for today’s young talents, like 14-year-olds Mia Toeaina and Naiyah Anaiyah Ve’e. “To have all these young girls that are 14 years old coming in and having positive experiences, it’s amazing,” Mana’o says.
Reflecting on the team’s current standing, she smiles at the thought of her younger self. “Fifteen-year-old-me is ecstatic.”
